Three Men Detained in Abandoned Home After Karak Church Massacre

Nine people are dead and forty others are wounded following a shooting at a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud. The attack occurred on Friday during a funeral service. The village is located in Karak governorate, approximately 120 kilometers southwest of Amman. Witnesses stated that the gunfire continued for several minutes before ceasing.

On Monday, Jordanian security forces engaged in a shootout with three armed men. State television reported that the suspects were hiding inside an abandoned house in Karak. The men refused to surrender and fired at the responding officers. Security forces returned fire, wounding all three suspects before taking them into custody. No security personnel were injured during the exchange.

The Public Security Directorate stated that authorities recovered multiple firearms and ammunition from the detained men. The directorate described the attackers as extremist terrorists but did not name the suspects or link them to any specific Islamist group. No organization has formally claimed responsibility for the violence at the church.

In a statement released on state media, the directorate asserted that terrorism has no place in the country. Officials said the suspects had met their just fate. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said his team is reviewing the factors that drive young people toward extremism. He added that anyone proven to have participated in the attack would face accountability.

King Abdullah, who has a US partnership in counterterrorism efforts, ordered a firm response to the incident. The monarchy characterized the attack as a rare strike on the country's Christian minority. Jordan is generally considered stable in the region, though officials say they have disrupted several Islamist plots in previous years.